I'm in total awe of anyone who attempts to learn English. It seems impossible, even for those of us who grew up speaking and reading it. You'd think we (not "us") natives might have a firm grasp on our mother tongue, but not so fast. Consider intelligent adults who announce "I don't feel good. I'm going to lay down."
So what does sloppy disregard for grammar have to do with the title of today's Blix? Great question, glad you asked. Besides the bewildering rules and pronunciations, which make English so difficult to master is also one of beautiful things about the language: It constantly changes. Constantly. Just last week--much to my friend Ginna's chagrin--there was a flurry of Facebook discussion about how "they" has replaced "him or her" as a singular pronoun. Seems that English lacks the handy neutral pronoun of other languages.
Step out to walk the dog and by the time you're back, there's a new word. A new phrase. A noun becomes a verb. A bit of slang goes mainstream...or else it just goes away. Pity the immigrant who has been studying English from an old textbook and proudly tells you that his girlfriend is ginchy. Is that a good thing, you wonder? Turns out that in 1959, "ginchy" was the word for attractive, sexy, and fun. Who wouldn't want a ginchy partner? The only downside is explaining to the poor guy that the word has gone to the dictionary graveyard.
Or a word takes on a completely different meaning. Consider "hack" and "google"...
- Hack has morphed since 1200 (!!!) from a description of "cutting with heavy blows" to the recent evil verb that means stealing digital secrets to the current noun associated with happy advise on any topic. Consider these titles, straight from the headlines: "45 Amazing Life Hacks That Will Simply Your Life" or "Kitchen Hacks: How Clever Cooks Get things Done" or "Fishing Hacks to Make Your Next Outing Easier." You name it, there's a hack for it. (Read The New Yorker article about how the word has effortlessly altered over the years.)
- How did I find all those references to hack? I googled it, of course. Long before the search engine start-up in 1998, which took its name from the word "googol" (10100) it was also one of those early-1900 words that requires no explanation: "It made him google-eyed and he walked off the curb." The Brits also used it to describe an impossible or unanswerable question: "The professor threw a google to the class." Now, of course, we've all dropped the capital G and tell others to just "google" anything we could possibly wonder about.
The English language is fascinating. Buzzwords (another term that started to creep into the vocabulary about the time I was finishing high school) continue to show up, seemingly out of the blue. Think of the new interpretations for "sustainability" and "millennials" and "face time." The next time you meet a new English student, take a moment to congratulate them (sorry, Ginna) on even attempting to speak in this bewildering tongue. As a bit of encouragement, tell them to google "3 Brilliant Language Hacks That Will Help You Learn English Faster." Maybe we should all check it out...
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